Buy Industry Report

Media Industry Overview

Excerpt from Media Report

Companies in this industry produce, process, or distribute information and entertainment content for books and newspapers, motion pictures and music recordings, and radio and TV programming, as well as for the internet and software. In the US, the media industry is dominated by six conglomerates: CBS Corp, Comcast, Disney, Time Warner, Twenty-First Century Fox, and Viacom. Major international companies include Germany's Bertelsmann and France's Lagardère and Vivendi.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven by consumer spending and leisure time. The profitability of individual companies depends on effective marketing and creative capital. Large companies have advantages in distribution because they can reach mass audiences through multiple channels. Small companies can compete effectively by targeting narrow audience segments with niche products. The US industry is concentrated: the top 50 companies account for about 60% of revenue.

Products, Operations & Technology

Major revenue sources are telecommunications services (about 45% of total); traditional publishing, including books, newspapers, magazines, and software (about 20%); and radio and TV content distribution, including broadcasting, cable, and other pay TV subscription services (10%). Additional products and services include movie production and distribution; music publishing, licensing, and recording; internet publishing and Web portals; and data processing.

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